Cordray in Colorado, Post 2: First Week of Internship

I survived my first week of internship! Hooray! And even though it was only a four-day week, it seemed like the longest week of my life! Along with meeting about a thousand people, many of whom have names I can't remember, I was also overwhelmed with just how long a full-time internship is! Eight hours is a long time! A few things I learned from my first week are:

1. Always repeat peoples name when you are introduced to them, which is easier said than done. On my first day, I was too nervous about myself and how I was being perceived that I didn't even pay attention to who I was meeting. It took the rest of the week to really pick up on everyones names (and I still only know about 7 for sure). The trick was to repeat their name over and over in my head after I heard it mentioned. I also tried to say their name aloud after meeting them. It mostly worked, although I did call someone in my office Alex before finding out her name was actually Kim. I'm still not sure how I screwed that up, but it was bound to happen!

2. Constantly say yes to any task that you are asked. Throughout the week, I got to do some really cool things, like shoot a video for the Member of the Month story and take selfies of myself on "Museum Selfie Day" (who knew that was a thing?) to post on social media; but I also did some things that weren't that cool, like creating Excel sheets and running errands all over town. The thing is, since I said yes to any task that was thrown my way and showed enthusiasm about it, I could tell my superiors loved it. Not only did I complete the tasks, but I completed them efficiently with a smile on my face. By the end of the week, the people around me seemed to be very impressed with my positive attitude and willingness to work.

3. Be ready to go outside of your comfort zone. There were many times this week when I felt I was in way over my head. In those moments, I had to just go for it and put myself out there. Even though I was somewhat uncomfortable, I survived and grew from the experience - and in those moments, that's all you can do!

Overall, it was a very interesting first week. I really enjoy the people I work with, they're very nice and incredibly supportive. The organization also seems like a really cool place to spend the next few months! I hope that I will continue to be challenged every day and learn new things. And hopefully I will get used to working 9 to 5 every day, although I highly doubt that!

Thanks so much for reading! Until next time!

Dillon Cordray
Music and Business '15